Sea War
North Sea: 3 old British cruisers Aboukir, Cressy and Hogue torpedoed and sunk within an hour by U9 (WeddiÂgen). 1459 dead, 837 rescued by trawlers and Harwich Force.
Indian Ocean: ÂEmden (125 shells) bombards Burmah Oil Company facilities, Madras. 50,000 t oil set on fire.
Pacific: Spee bombards Papeete (Tahiti); old French gunboat Zelee torpedoed.
Western Front
FIRST BATTLE OF PICARDY (until September 26) begins as French Second Army reach Roye and Montdidier only to be blocked next day. French novelist Lieutenant Alain-Fournier killed, aged 27, leading platoon charge at Vaux-les-Palaneix. French brigade reoccupies Douai.
Belgium: 7 detachments (total 700 men) of Belgian volunteer cyclists ride out from Antwerp and cut German rail communications in three provinces.
Eastern Front
Poland: New German Ninth Army (250,000) arriving north of Cracow; only 2 corps left in East Prussia. Grand Duke Nicholas holds war council at Kholm, regroup on Vistula to entrap Ludendorff and then invade Germany.
Galicia: ÂRussians approach Przemysl (first shelled on September 18).
African Fronts
East Africa: Botha C-in-C East Africa. Coast Fort Majoreni repels 300 Germans, but British evacuate to Gazi, 25 miles (ca. 40 km) south of Mombasa (arriving September 26). German aim is to capture and wreck port from September 29 on, but cruiser Königsberg fails to appear.
Air War
Germany: FIRST BRITISH AIR RAID ON GERMANY. 4 RNAS Sopwith Tabloids from Antwerp attack Zeppelin sheds at Cologne and Düsseldorf. Flight Lieutenant Collet drops 3 x 20lb bombs (UXB) at Düsseldorf.
Western Front: RFC BE2 attempting to bomb kite-balloon intercepted by Albatros 2Â-seater; pilot wounded.
Britain: ÂRNAS airship Beta patrols over fog-shrouded London to test visibility of potential Zeppelin targets.
Home Fronts
Britain: Extra 50 MG’s per week ordered from Vickers for French Army.
